orator 1 final

ORATOR July - September 2014 1


3From the Editors Desk Roger that TM Vinay Satheesh

5Message of the Division Governor TM V P Menon

6Message of The President The Belief TM Deepak Gulati

8Message of Vice President (Education) Are you having fun? TM Abdul Khaliq

10Message of Vice President (Membership) No Escape TM Qaisar Amin

12Cover Story : At the top In Focus: DTM Mohammed Murad International President

22Flex it! DTM Uma Radhakrishnan

24Tours with Deepa-Season 1 Heaven on Earth - Kashmir TM Deepa Khemani

26Financial lessons for kids – What & When? TM Aadil Khadri

28Nostalgia TM Seetha Sagaran

30Work outs for confidence TM Jose William

32Be a dream doer TM Swapna Nair

33Must, or you rust! TM Richa Khera

35Club Meetings Highlights

39Felicitation Meeting Highlights

44Toastmasters International Convention Highlights

CONTENTS

Copyright Notice: Toastmasters International, the Toastmasters International

logo, and all other Toastmasters International trademarks and copyrights are

the sole property of Toastmasters International. Any logos, banners and

material used in preparation of this newsletter are provided at Toastmasters’

website for members’ use. Any extract used from Toastmasters manuals is

credited to Toastmasters with a reference to the original manual/guide.


Hello Readers,

Toastmasters International is an organization that I came to know by chance. My cousin brother told me about the organization to me

and how it will improve public speaking and leadership skills. I searched the internet for a

good club in the immediate vicinity of my home. I found that there was a club in Dubai Academic City which was very close to my home. So I thought I will go to that club. I visited the club location twice, but on both of those days the

members were very less and the meetings were cancelled.

Then I searched again for other clubs and by sheer luck I came to the right place, Dubai

Toastmasters Club. The first person I spoke was the treasurer himself, the money person, TM Radhakrishnan. He welcomed me with a good

smile and then I noticed that everybody had a smile on their faces and I felt the place really cool. My journey in Dubai Toastmasters Club started on that date. In the beginning of the competent communicator program, I felt like I was driving in Emirates Road immediately after getting the driving license, why because, my heart was beating like anything. Truth of the fact is heart still beats, but I don’t care about that anymore and the focus is more on the audience. Now I am in the middle of the ocean, I cannot even see the shore now, there are more and more challenges to over come, which will make me more better. But I can see a lot of mariners around me, some of them driving ships, some of

them jet skiing, some canoeing and some of them swimming like dolphins in the middle of the ocean and I find it as a great company that mutually supports and improves each other. We might fell down in this process, but, we can be sure that we will always fell into the right company, The Toastmasters.

In life we are in the middle of the ocean, in the middle of uncertainties, in the middle of chaos and in those circumstances what we need is the power to be quiet and listen. Listen to people around you, listen to those experienced

mariners, listen even to persons standing on the shore, listen to the wind and the tides. It can only help you to reach the destination. Take

decisions based on the collective knowledge you gather through effective listening.

Effective listening require patience, calmness and the willingness to hear completely and without interruption, what the other person is speaking. We should always try not to speak until the other person has stopped speaking. Try not to jump to conclusion, but, think over what you have gathered through effective listening and take the right step. Once you take that right

Roger that

Vinay Satheesh (Member of TMI since June 2013, a real estate professional, also interested in movies, motivational books, exercise, chatting with friends/relatives, entrepreneurship and networking with good people)

FROM THE EDITORS DESK


step, give it sufficient amount of time to produce results. You need to be patient and withstand the challenges after taking that right step to allow it to become a tree whose roots will be so deeply laid that it will give fruits for a life time and also will become a huge umbrella to all those who get tired in the scorching sun. Never roll after you take that right step, since as the great saying goes, “a rolling stone gathers no moss”. Listen, Think, Act, Focus, Persevere, Reap the fruits for a life time

Everything starts from that power to listen. One of the greatest lessons that I learnt from Toastmasters is to listen effectively. I was astonished to see the experienced Toastmasters (experienced mariners) eagerly listening to the

various speeches without even a second of distraction and then evaluating the speaker even with the minute aspects of the speech which the

speaker has done well or need improvement.

Listening is a power that will help you to create and maintain relationships both personal and professional. It will result in healthy and useful

discussions with people which in turn will result in intelligent actions. If you want people to listen to you, first listen to them. If anyone ask me, whether I heard what they said, I will say, Roger that. And this happened because and only because I joined Toastmasters International.

Wish all the new members of Dubai Toastmasters Club the very best in this beautiful journey. Now let’s get back to business. The first quarter brought glory and pride to the Dubai Toastmasters Club:

DTM Mohammed Murad, the member of Dubai Toastmasters Club was sworn as the President of Toastmasters International on 23/8/2014. Joint meeting with Blue Ocean Academy Toastmasters Club on 23/7/2014 and it was a great success. Special meeting on 1/9/2014 to felicitate DTM Mohammed Murad, the TMI President, was a master piece filled with master blaster speakers from current and ex-DTC members, presence of press, meet and greet sessions and above all the address by the TMI President.

All the meetings were done with great passion and attention to detail with the aim of delivering the best quality meetings so that members can learn and excel in moments of enjoyment.

All the above events are covered in detail in this volume of Orator in addition to the exceptional

articles by the members.

I would place on record my appreciation and sincere gratitude to all the fellow Toastmasters for contributing articles/messages/testimonials

to this volume of Orator. My sincere accolades to TM Richa Khera for her contribution in proof reading the articles/testimonials/messages to bring out a quality newsletter. And above all, my hugs to TM Deepak Gulati (President of DTC) and TM Abdul Khaliq (VP Education of DTC) for the valuable advice and guidance given throughout the

process of preparation of this volume of Orator. Hope all of you will enjoy reading The Orator [Volume 1 : June-September 2014 (Release date 10/11/2014)] Roger that! And will come back in January 2015.


Greetings, members and friends of Dubai Toastmasters Club, At this point in time, we all feel so proud that one of our members is the President of Toastmasters International for this year. I take this opportunity to wish DTM Mohammed Murad

the very best for his term as the International President. Dubai Toastmasters Club has always been special to me because it is my home club and a

major part of my learning and improvement has happened in this club. I have been visiting this club in the same location, at the same time for

the last 12 years and can never think of not turning up at the DTC club meeting. It has

become such a habit that if I miss one meeting for whatever reason, I feel as if I have lost something. Lost an opportunity to meet friends

and lost an opportunity to have 2-3 hours of fun and learning. On behalf of Division B and all its members I wish Dubai Toastmasters Club the very best for this year. Toastmasters International helps nearly 313,000 men and women around the world improve their communication and leadership skills. None of this can happen

without effective club meetings. Clubs like Dubai Toastmasters Club are the heart and soul of the Toastmasters education program, and we salute you for your consistent commitment to your members. The most important person in Toastmasters is the member. Our organization’s founder, Dr. Ralph Smedley, once said, “Ours is the only organization I know dedicated to the individual. We work together to bring out the best in each of us and then we apply these skills

to help others.” Thanks for all you do in helping your members gain opportunities that prepare them for a lifetime of achievement. Once again, congratulations to Dubai Toastmasters Club. I wish every member of DTC every success in their Toastmasters journey.

Message of the Division Governor [Division B, District 20] V P Menon (A member of TMI since 2002, a trainer by profession, also interested in toastmasters, photography, travelling, reading, music, movies etc.)

MESSAGE OF THE DIVISION GOVERNOR

FACTS ABOUT

TOASTMASTERS

Founded

October 22, 1924

Updated Brand

August 17, 2011

Benefits

• Clearer communication

• Improved leadership skills

• Enhanced teamwork

• Effective meetings

• Increased productivity

• Positive mentoring

• Complements existing training programs

• Cost effective

Dubai Toastmasters club is the mother Toastmasters club of

Dubai and northern Emirates. A club that has gathered wealth

of experience since its inception in 1996. Our Club stands

proud as members try their best to practice what Toastmasters

has to offer. Our club is representative of something more than

a typical Toastmasters club where members gather together to

create an exceptional experience for days to remember and

allow one to utilize his/her potential in a supportive

environment. We are nothing but a family of people with a

shared drive for self-improvement and to help others. Each

meeting gives everyone an opportunity to practice conducting

meetings, giving impromptu speeches, presenting prepared

speeches, and offering constructive evaluation or in a nutshell,

an opportunity to improve, to lead, to learn and to set

examples. We are Dubai Toastmasters Club.


If we just start to think about the evolution, most of the theories or models are based on the idea that there is a nucleus, a defining moment, an origin, a beginning, continuity and finally…an end. First we lived in a cave, ate whatever came our way, then came the wheel, civilization, democracies, women rights, skype, Burj Khalifa,

4d movies and the Iphone 6+. Pheweee. The list could be endless. Well end is something that cannot really be controlled, so let us talk about continuity.

We nodded against the changes and evolved with time and here we are today, the most powerful thing on the face of this earth. Us, you,

me……human being.

Change has a very wide scope and applies to everything that exists. It also applies to me, you and everyone else you know and in a way,

accepting changes is an indicative of agreement with life to bring the much required success, happiness and learning that all we aim towards. Accepting changes could also bring the essential shift in beliefs, breaking boundaries that were never meant to be even broken and shelling out of the inhibitions. The world that we live in today has abundance

of everything, the good or bad, the beautiful or ugly, the positives or negatives. Our choice as a human makes or breaks us depending upon our faith that we decide to put into something specific. So if given a choice that we could have, we can always go for the good, beautiful and positive. One of such million goodies that life has to offer is, Toastmasters.

Now this is not a piece of writing where I would like to talk about how Toastmasters can benefit one. We all know it right??? But this is an attempt to reach the world outside Toastmasters who need to be aware of the program, know that

there is something that can transform lives and can actually make one not only a better speaker but out shine as a better person or human being. Change as we were talking about, it is

imperative to talk about the spheres that one can decide to be a Toastmaster or be a part of this

exceptional forum. The need could have its range anywhere from becoming a better speaker “to” thrash the public speaking fear “to” be able to

put one’s thought in a plate like the delectable French delicacy “Tarte Tatin”.

BUT it is very vital to know that it’s just not the speaking opportunity or the improvement that the Toastmasters stage has to offer; it is much more than that. It is a stage that can bring in the magic, magic that can define one’s life and make it a journey to relish. Why do I say that? Why do I talk so highly about it? It is nothing but the matter of belief that I have in the program.

The Belief Deepak Gulati (A member of TMI since 1st July 2010, a Quality Assurance Officer in Finance Dept. with Emirates Airlines, also interested in photography, playing music & creative writing. He says that Toastmasters is no longer an interest …… it’s in his system now.)

MESSAGE OF THE PRESIDENT


Do you recall an instance that you put so much of belief and conviction into something that you could really saw that dream becoming your own reality? Kind of a reality that you need to pinch yourself to believe that its happening or it happened? You had that moment right? What brought you the diamond of the first water? What made … that happen? I say… BELIEF… Likewise, belief in this program dashed with dedication has been proven as the remedy for

many illnesses, from Glossophobia to lacking confidence and that’s just minuscule to talk about the benefits of the program. The time is evolving and it is a necessity to run

with the running times to make it all work for us. It is given that we cannot literally control everything and turn it all to work for us, but it is

also given that a step is required to make it a mile. Toastmasters is one of the step that we can

take and make the journey of 1000’s of miles count for us all.

Friends, most importantly, believe in your belief (if you don’t have one, just blindly believe in anything that you wish to achieve), be part of the change mechanism and be the one in transforming your own life. All the best!

PROMISE OF EVERY TOASTMASTER CLUB

MEMBER

As a member of Toastmasters International and

my club, I promise:

To attend club meetings regularly

To prepare all of my speech and leadership

projects to the best of my ability, basing

them on projects in the Competent

Communication, Advanced Communication

or Competent Leadership manuals

To prepare for and fulfill meeting

assignments

To provide fellow members with helpful,

constructive evaluations

To help the club maintain the positive,

friendly environment necessary for all

members to learn and grow

To serve my club as an officer when called

upon to do so

To treat my fellow club members and our

guests with respect and courtesy

To bring guests to club meetings so they

can see the benefits Toastmasters

membership offers

To adhere to the guidelines and rules for all

Toastmasters educational and recognition

programs

To maintain honest and highly ethical

standards during the conduct of all

Toastmasters activities

Toastmasters International is a non-profit educational organization that

aims to improve one’s communication, public speaking and leadership

skills through a worldwide network of meeting locations. Dr. Ralph

Smedley (February 22, 1878 – September 11, 1965) was the founder of

Toastmasters International.

Toastmasters will help you to:

Speak and present compellingly

Think quickly and clearly

Become a strong leader

Listen effectively

You will learn these skills and more in a supportive, self-paced,

fun atmosphere.


Are you having fun?! Like me, have you taken the task in hand too seriously? Have you been guilty of trying too hard? Yes, you read it right “Guilty”

of trying too hard. If you ask me this question I will be the first one to raise my hand. So what am I getting at? Let me tell you an incident that made me realize that I had taken things so

seriously that I had stopped enjoying and was only slogging.

I returned to the hotel after a long day at the Toastmasters International Convention. It was then my son Waiz came to me and said “Babs there is an awesome cartoon movie on TV, please come and watch with me”. I said “Well, I am

really tired and don’t feel like watching cartoons right now”. “Please Babs” pleaded Waiz “anyway

you just came back after the whole day”. I had to give up when I saw Waiz’s excitement turning to disappointment. So I asked “what are we

watching?” He screamed in jubilation “Yes………it’s a penguin movie Surf’s Up. You

will love it”.

And we sat down to watch the movie. The story went like this……

A young penguin Cody becomes fascinated about surfing after watching a surfing competition.

Now he had only one wish and that was to win the surfing competition. He was up against a

tough competitor named Tank. Tank was much stronger, taller and the winner of several surfing competitions. However, Cody didn’t have anything else on mind other than winning the competition. But there was a twist to the story, Cody didn’t know how to surf and didn’t even own a surfboard. He then found Big Z a veteran

surfer and champion of his time. Big Z takes up the task of training Cody. Nevertheless, Cody got so obsessed with the

thought of winning that he began to take things too seriously. Big Z then told him “Cody, if you want to be a champion then the first step is to build your own surfboard”. Cody started to build

his own board with a piece of broken tree. But he tried too hard and put all his energy into building a board. Big Z kept on telling him

“Cody, stop trying too hard. Relax! And learn to have fun while you work towards your goal”.

Cody ignored his advice and kept pealing the wood with all force. He even refused to take Big

Z’s help and ends up making an uneven piece of plank rather than a smooth surfboard. Big Z

warned him “Cody this board will not even survive one slap of a tiny wave”. Cody gave it a deaf ear and excitedly took the board out to the sea. BANG! The board broke in two with the first wave and Cody almost drowned after getting hit by a huge wave.

Are you having fun? Abdul Khaliq (A member of TMI since April 2012, Finance Manager [Development & Assets] at Majid Al Futtaim Properties, Certified sustainability practitioner with a certification in GRI financial reporting, loves nature and has a passion towards sustainability and adventure)

MESSAGE OF THE VICE PRESIDENT (EDUCATION)


Embarrassed, Cody came out of the water and walked away, head down, murmuring “I knew I can’t do it, I knew it”. Big Z walked up to him and said “Cody, you have got everything it takes to win; passion, will and hard work. But you are missing one main ingredient that turns dreams to reality. And that is having fun while pursuing your dreams”. Cody realized his mistake for the first time.

Now, Big Z teaches him how a surfboard is made with gentle strokes and soft hands. “Don’t overdo it” says Big Z “remember that every time you apply a tool to the plank, there should be a deliberate purpose”. Following the advice of Big Z, Cody makes himself a perfectly carved and smooth edged flexible surfboard. Once again forced by his nature of trying too hard, he struggles to keep his balance when he takes the

board out to the sea. Big Z tells him “Don’t overdo it. Relax! Keep your body light. Rather than forcing yourself on the board, try to float like a weightless piece of paper”. This time, Cody listens and leaves his body to float. He soon realizes he is conquering the huge curly waves. He never had so much fun in life as much as he had at that moment. He said to himself “Cody, you were so naïve when you took things too

seriously where you could have achieved your goals while having fun”.

My dear friends, that movie taught me a valuable lesson “Don’t overdo it. Relax! Have fun while pursuing your dreams”. I myself am guilty of taking things so seriously that I stopped having fun. I have learnt that taking our goals/dreams seriously is different from becoming a serious person in pursue of our goals. Fellow Toastmasters, this is a practical metaphor, especially for us. Sometimes we become so serious and try too hard to deliver our

projects or any other role for that matter. Our primary focus is on trying hard to do well rather than leaving ourselves to float. In the process our body becomes stiff that it refuses to glide on the stage, our throat becomes dry that denies the

fluency of words and our face becomes expressionless like an uneven piece of plank.

Now tell me isn’t “guilty” the right word for taking things too seriously?

I have realized that in my recent past, I did better on the stage whilst not trying too hard

thinking that all that I wanted was to have fun. So the next time you are on stage “Don’t overdo it. Relax! Have fun”. Learn to shape your surfboard with gentle strokes and soft hands. Learn to float on waves instead of forcing yourself. After watching that movie Surf’s Up and analyzing my situation with Cody, I realized that

what Dr. Ralph Smedley said 90 years ago is really true: “We learn best in moments of enjoyment”


Writing is a skill that not many are blessed with,

and I realized this when our VP PR TM Vinay

asked us to submit an article for our club

newsletter “Orator”. I raised my hand with

confidence stating that I’d submit something this

time; But as time passed, my intentions of

writing started to fade away. Instead of writing

I started thinking of different kinds of excuses to

avoid it, such as; I was much too busy with my

job that I did not get the chance to write

anything.

Due to few financial issues I was unable to concentrate on writing; I speak as though I am a professional writer and publishers are standing

in queue to publish my books.

I also thought of taking an early vacation and

running away to Pakistan. But then, watching

the news off late made me re-think that it was

better to write the article instead.

I kept thinking about this on my way to the office

but it took me just 7 minutes to reach work, and

the only thing I did during that time was giving

directions to the taxi driver and getting tensed

looking at the traffic. In the office, I was trying

to concentrate on my work, but the fear within

me was building on gradually as we had to

submit the article in 7 days. From the way my

heart was pounding, I felt like I had to submit it

in an hour!

Then I opened my laptop and carefully placed my

fingers on the keyboard and sat. My brain

stopped working and I couldn’t think of

anything. I kept asking myself again and again

“what shall I write?”

This reminded me of my school days,

particularly during the annual exams, I used to

open my books just a week before the exams, and

all I could see was teasing faces made out of the

words on the pages, laughing at me. Sometimes

I felt that my history book slapping me! Some of

the books were so new that a squeaking sound

could be heard when they were opened like a

door that was shut for ages. This is not all, I

realized that some of the pages were not even

separated, and between them were some

unsolved mysteries. Believe me it was just the

start and there seem to be no end to it.

Usually I am very good in hiding my emotions

but this time I failed, even my colleague noticed

it. He came to me and asked me politely, “Amin

what is the matter? You seem to be disturbed.” I

looked at him and said, “Nothing mate it’s just

that I promised to submit an article for our club

newsletter this time and I can’t think of anything

No Escape Qaisar Amin (A member of TMI since April 2004, an investment banker by profession, also interested in toastmasters, movies, music, dancing and a lot more.)

MESSAGE OF THE VICE PRESIDENT (MEMBERSHIP)


to write. I had volunteered to write and now

everyone will be waiting to see something from

me. This is making me nervous.”

My colleague is a Finance guy and he gave it a

thought and said “well then, why don’t you just

say that you are not going to write anything this

time”. For a moment I thought about it and then

realized it was the worst idea, I could not quit

now.

That night I slept, but my mind stayed awake and in my mind I was drafting an article. It was all about how I felt and the next day the first thing I did was to write about my experience on how I felt. Yes, I did it. I wrote my first article for the

Club Newsletter, “The Orator”, and I am feeling great now!

I wanted my fellow Toastmasters to know how wonderful it is to be a part of the Toastmasters Fraternity. No matter how old I grow, where ever I go I will always be a Toastmaster and Toastmasters never quit, they always try and improve.

I love Dubai Toastmasters Club and its members.

I always try my best to experiment on how I can

bring advancement to our club, and I think it is

possible by bringing fresh blood to the club. One

of the strengths of DTC is its members and only

members can bring in more members. It is

imperative for our club to have new members in

order to retain and continue its position as one

of the best clubs of Dubai. So I need your help in

achieving and breaking all the records of

membership by bringing in as many guests as

possible and I promise that I’d do my best to

convert them to members. I know you can do it.

I have done it as well by writing this article. It

wasn’t that hard! I will be bringing at least one

guest to the meeting next time, What about you?

DUBAI TOASTMASTERS CLUB No.7492

AREA 7, DIV B, DISTRICT 20

THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

PRESIDENT

Deepak Gulati

055 668 1921

[email protected]

VICE PRESIDENT-EDUCATION

Abdul Khaliq

050 450 0 802

[email protected]

VICE PRESIDENT-MEMBERSHIP

Qaisar Amin

056 916 1874

[email protected]

VICE PRESIDENT-PUBLIC RELATIONS

Vinay Satheesh

055 107 6736

[email protected]

SECRETARY

Deepa Khemani

050 293 1625

[email protected]

TREASURER

Anindya Kar

050 657 1218

[email protected]

SERGEANT AT ARMS

Jose William

050 832 2964

[email protected]

Visit our website: www.dubaitoastmasters.com

Connect with us:

mailto:[email protected]





http://www.dubaitoastmasters.com/


Mohammed Murad, DTM

International President

Tom Jones, DTM

International Director,

Region 1

Ross Mackay, DTM


Region 6

Khaled Matlagaitu, DTM


Region 11

Jim Kokocki, DTM

International President-Elect

Gloria Shishido, DTM


Region 2

Sharon Anita Hill, DTM


Region 7

Charlie Starrett, DTM


Region 12

Mike Storkey, DTM

First Vice President

Karen Blake, DTM


Region 3

Dennis E. Wooldridge, DTM


Region 8

Deepak Menon, DTM


Region 13

Balraj Arunasalam, DTM

Second Vice President

Joan Watson, DTM


Region 4

Richard Peck, DTM


Region 9

Patrick Oei, DTM


Region 14

George Yen, DTM

Immediate Past International

President

Alan Shaner, DTM


Region 5

Ede Ferrari D'Angelo, DTM


Region 10

Each member of Toastmasters International's Board of Directors has accepted the mission of the organization and makes certain that

the mission is reflected in the decisions that they make.

In carrying out its responsibilities, the Board of Directors functions in the following major areas:

Upholding the mission, vision and values of Toastmasters International

Setting strategic direction for the organization

Policy development

Hiring the Executive Director

Budget and financial oversight

This Orator is dedicated to our own International President DTM Mohammed Murad

We are proud that we belong to Dubai Toastmasters Club, The Club of the International President

Mohammed Murad, DTM, of Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE), is an entrepreneur and Managing Director of three companies.

He holds an MBA and a Master of Quality Management degree from the University of Wollongong in New South Wales,

Australia. He is also a graduate of the City of Dubai’s Leadership Development Program, and has received training at Harvard,

London Business School and the Singapore School of Government.

A dedicated Toastmaster since 1996, Murad is a member of Toastmasters Dubai Chapter club in Dubai. He has held a number of

high-profile leadership positions within the organization, and has attained the Distinguished Toastmaster designation—the

highest level of educational achievement in the organization.

Murad says Toastmasters will always be important in his life. “I am excited by the opportunity to give back to the organization

that has given me so much.”

As International President, Murad is a “working ambassador” for the organization. He works with the Board to develop, support

and modify the policies and procedures that guide the organization in fulfilling its mission. [Source: www.toastmasters.org]

COVER STORY: AT THE TOP

http://www.toastmasters.org/Members/MembersFunctionalCategories/AboutTI/Board.aspx#MM

http://www.toastmasters.org/Members/MembersFunctionalCategories/AboutTI/Board.aspx#TJ

http://www.toastmasters.org/Members/MembersFunctionalCategories/AboutTI/Board.aspx#RM

http://www.toastmasters.org/Members/MembersFunctionalCategories/AboutTI/Board.aspx#KM

http://www.toastmasters.org/Members/MembersFunctionalCategories/AboutTI/Board.aspx#JK

http://www.toastmasters.org/Members/MembersFunctionalCategories/AboutTI/Board.aspx#GS

http://www.toastmasters.org/Members/MembersFunctionalCategories/AboutTI/Board.aspx#SAH

http://www.toastmasters.org/Members/MembersFunctionalCategories/AboutTI/Board.aspx#CS

http://www.toastmasters.org/Members/MembersFunctionalCategories/AboutTI/Board.aspx#MS

http://www.toastmasters.org/Members/MembersFunctionalCategories/AboutTI/Board.aspx#KB

http://www.toastmasters.org/Members/MembersFunctionalCategories/AboutTI/Board.aspx#DW

http://www.toastmasters.org/Members/MembersFunctionalCategories/AboutTI/Board.aspx#DM

http://www.toastmasters.org/Members/MembersFunctionalCategories/AboutTI/Board.aspx#BA

http://www.toastmasters.org/Members/MembersFunctionalCategories/AboutTI/Board.aspx#JW

http://www.toastmasters.org/Members/MembersFunctionalCategories/AboutTI/Board.aspx#RP

http://www.toastmasters.org/Members/MembersFunctionalCategories/AboutTI/Board.aspx#PO

http://www.toastmasters.org/Members/MembersFunctionalCategories/AboutTI/Board.aspx#GY

http://www.toastmasters.org/Members/MembersFunctionalCategories/AboutTI/Board.aspx#AS

http://www.toastmasters.org/Members/MembersFunctionalCategories/AboutTI/Board.aspx#EFD


Source: Toastmasters

International Along with extensive experience in global marketing and branding, DTM Murad has more than 28 years of experience at the director and chief executive officer levels in emergency medical services management, human resource development and strategic planning for organizations.

Source: Gulf news dated

19/9/2014

The first Arab to head the non-profit group

Arriving back in Dubai from Kuala Lumpur, the former police officer told Gulf News: “It’s a privilege for me to represent my flag (the UAE) on the international stage. It’s a great honor, but at the same time it’s a great responsibility.”

As International President, Murad is a “working ambassador”

for the organization, tasked to develop, support and modify policies and procedures that guide the organization in fulfilling its mission.

In 2007, he was the first Emirati to be elected as International Director of Toastmasters in Arizona, getting 9,152 votes -- a landslide victory out of about 10,000 eligible votes representing Toastmasters clubs around the world.

On his agenda during his 2014-2015 term as International President, Murad said: “We don’t have a personal agenda… there’s a strategic plan and we need to fulfil it and make our organization reach as many people as possible in order for them to develop their skills.”

He credits the organization for it being a big part of his own transformation. “A large extent of my personal and professional success," he said, "came from being honed by Toastmasters. It’s truly a platform to developing self-confidence, better communication and leadership skills.

“Some are people who want to simply stay within their own circle of comfort… we don’t want to go outside or be introduced to others. My personal journey has taught me that if you do not go outside your circle of comfort, you’re not living to the fullest. It is a life to explore, not only a life to live… This is how we discover what we can do to be of service to others.” Graduate of the Police Academy's Cadet


Officer Course, graduate of University of Maryland Baltimore County's Emergency Medical Management Course. Hobbies: Extreme sports, reading, photography.

Family: Lives in Dubai

with wife Zareen and

two Children

Source: Khaleej times

dated 19/9/2014

“A lot of people don’t know we exist,” says Mohammed Murad.

Lt. Col (retired) Mohammed Murad, 49, used to be a police officer. He spent eight years patrolling the streets on the crime beat, hauling up criminals, on occasions going without sleep for two-three days. After the crime stint, he spent 12 years in the Emergency Medical System.

He tells Khaleej Times that joining TMI had an impact on his life in numerous ways. He has grown as a communicator and a leader.

“The change was very apparent. You learn the art of listening, and observing, not just talking, and being able to listen and understand without reacting. You learn to think and think before replying. This builds self confidence and improves us as people and leaders”.

“Our members are usually 35 and above, of mixed gender, but we need to appeal to the younger ones, the college-goers.”

Murad stresses the need to pursue knowledge. “There is no way a person can develop without learning, without increasing our knowledge of what interests us.” As for knowledge, Murad has been reading voraciously, but no fiction, “Only leadership, management and self-development books”. This is a man who has a big orange book on Spanish in his bookshelf because he likes picking up smatterings of languages. He speaks five. Only little bit of Russian, but fluently: Arabic, English, Hindi, Urdu and Persian. A preference for tea with milk but no sugar Has a fetish for pens, watches and daggers.

Source: The National

dated 1/9/2014

Retired Dubai police officer named president of Toastmasters

International

“It is definitely an honor and a privilege to represent the UAE as international president,”

“I hope to highlight the fact that Toastmasters is present here and that there is a platform to develop leadership skills.” Lt Col Murad joined Toastmaster after a friend invited him to a session.

“I didn’t really participate in that session, but I was fascinated. The next session I gave a two-minute speech on a subject, I can’t remember what it was, but I was voted best tabletop speaker of the night,” he said. Lt Col Murad joined the Dubai Toastmasters Club in 1996 when it had less than 35 members and just one club.

“Personally I have developed drastically through TMI. I built self-confidence and learnt how to relate to people and approach them, be able to persuade them.”

Toastmasters awards its highest level Distinguished Toastmaster (DTM) to members who have achieved both the Advanced Communication Gold and Advanced Leader Silver awards. Lt Col Murad worked his way through the Toastmaster leadership and communication tracks to become a DTM by 2006.

“To become a distinguished toastmaster you have to complete both tracks, but it is done at your own pace. You teach yourself. There is no one pushing you into something you’re not ready for or restraining you from moving as fast as you want,” he said


Source: Interview by Loy

Machedo when

Mohammed Murad

became the 2nd vice

president of Toastmasters

International

If you dream of doing something, just go ahead and do it – DTM Murad

The man whom I once met at a

Toastmaster meeting somewhere in the

year 2002 still remains blurred yet fresh.

Dressed in a simple white Arabic

Kandora, well groom, soft spoken with

that famous Sylvester Stallone Smile. He

was not very tall but had a larger than life

persona. I mean the minute I met him,

there was something absolutely

charismatic about this man. He didn’t say

much. Yet his smile, his serene demeanor

and his subtle signature silence would say

so much, that you would have to reflect to

wonder what actually conspired.

Following that, I met him at his office. And

Volia! What a difference.

The man whom I felt looked so angelic

and child-like, was now in a full-fledged

functioning uniform. More like watching

one of those Indian Movies where you get

the hero of the movie walking in the Police

Officers Dress – Looking Smart Savvy

and Slick, he was dressed in full glory of

the Prim Proper and Poised Policeman.

And boy, was that a sight to behold.

There at the office, he was sharp. To the

point. Polite yet Firm. Sensitive yet tough.

He was the man who would get the job

done. And being part of the Police Force

was not the part where he would carry a

gun in his smart police car making that

eerie noise that would scare off the bad

guys – It was more of a man dedicated to

making the city safe where the Ambulance

Services would be provided to those in

need. And where many a times it would

save lives. Not just one. But also the lives

of those others depended on. He kept the

city of millions safe, secure and sound.

And finally, I saw him as a businessman.

Brilliant, Buoyant and Bold. Where he

made decisions fast. Though not as

furious you would expect a car-action

movie sequence. But good enough to

know, you were in the presence of a man

who may be didn’t know everything but

was never scared to admit and learn new

things to excellence.

The only thing that may never have

changed, are his values, principles and

morals.

Source: Interview by

Saleh Abdullah Al

Khamyasi

What made you join Toastmasters?

A friend who casually asked me to come to a meeting. I joined and never looked back. When did you embark on your Toastmasters' Journey?

1996, there was only one club in Dubai at that time, I joined in the first year, but wasn't a chartered member. From UAE to USA the dream is overwhelming tell us about that?

I am a firm believer of the

saying whatever happens to you is none of your business; all you need to do is work hard. I never had

this dream of becoming the President of Toastmasters but I worked hard in every leadership position I held and as things unfolded, I got closer to making a difference on the largest


scale possible. What are the habits of a highly effective toastmaster from your

perspective? Habits will automatically fall in place if you uphold the values of Toastmasters: Integrity, Respect, Service and Excellence. How did Toastmasters enhance your qualities as a leader? I got tremendous self -confidence, which in turn enhanced my people skills and long term planning. How did Toastmasters enhance your qualities as a father? If a person follows and implements certain values in their own life, it automatically gets transferred to the people around him or

her, and specially the closest ones. Having said

that, I believe I learned to listen to my children more often than trying to preach, and then lead by example is one of the qualities I diligently implement.

The Philosophy of Toastmasters as a platform rotates around learning through enjoying, doing and motivating can you elaborate on that?

You need to have a fun factor in everything you do in life, Toastmasters is no

different, an individual will need to experience it to understand the value of it and then enjoy the journey. Speech, humor, table topics and Evaluation which segment has benefited you most?

Undoubtedly Evaluation, in my opinion it is the most important learning segment in the whole Toastmasters program.

A leader is a communicator and a communicator is a leader can you explain this?

The first step to leadership is

communication. The better communicator a person is the better leader he or she becomes.

How did reading enhance your leadership skills? Tell us about your reading habits and what are you reading now?

I do not read fiction, I read self-development and business books, I make sure that I read at least one book a month, and on top of that I listen to many audio books in


the car. Knowledge is one of the corner stones of leadership; unfortunately I

realized that late in my life, I am trying to catch up now. I am reading a book called The Psychology Book now, it is an interesting book. What are your hobbies? Extreme Sports like Bungee Jumping, Sky Diving, Deep Sea Diving, collection watches, pens and knives, and reading. How do you strike a balance between your commitments? I resort to

the magic mix of Time Management and Delegation. Are any of your family members a toastmaster? And how did your long Toastmasters training impact the environment at home? None of them, but they support me fully.

Toastmasters has taught me that communication is an important aspect of a healthy family environment, so I communicate well. What is in your Toastmasters’ agenda this year?

Continuing to add value at every level.

A last word you want to

conclude with? There is no replacement of persistence and consistency. Nothing comes for free so work hard to fulfill your dreams

Testimonials

Abdel Rahman El Housseiny

Congratulations C. Murad for this huge success and great responsibility. It was an honor to witness Colonel Murad going all the way up to the top of the hill of Toastmasters International Organization.

I am certain that Toastmasters international will not be the same organization one year from today.

The first time I met him was in 2009, he was sitting beside me. When the club president acknowledged his presence as the International Director, he looked at me with his welcoming smile and said “yes this is me” Every meeting since, when his presence is acknowledged, I look at him and say “this is you isn't it? “

I wish to see a Toastmasters club in every university and in the near future a gavel club in every school.

Velu Arumugam [Past Area Governor 2013-2014]

I know Mr. Murad since I joined Dubai Toastmasters Club in September 2005 and it’s a great honor for me to express my feelings about this great person.

He is a rare personality with a unique combination of brilliance, passion, and empathy. He has been a great source of inspiration and encouragement for me & for everyone around us. His


aura of an ever-smiling, simple & humble person connects very easily with every heart he meets & who in turn love & bless him honestly. I truly admire Mr. Murad’s perseverance and leadership skills with which he pursues his passion and the way he instills his idealism and leadership values in others by living with such values.

He has been a great mentor and speaker on leadership, with special talent, that reflects marvelously whenever he is on the stage to speak. His commitment to being a leader is a fine reflection of his inner personality & the value systems that he emits & cultivates. It is not often that we meet such an extraordinarily person like Mr. Murad; A person whom I consider to be an enlightened visionary with a wonderful heart and who radiates positivity wherever he is. His boundless energy and dedication will surely steer Toastmasters International to greater heights. I am glad that such a fine & deserving person is leading TMI as International President and I’m sure that he will bring a remarkable

difference within Toastmasters and in many lives across the world, for which this role is just a beginning.

Gemma Zust [Past President of DTC]

DTM Colonel Mohammad Murad, the warmest congratulations on this well-deserved, inspirational and momentous appointment.

We are excited to see what you can contribute during your post. I very much look forward to reading your monthly column in the TMI magazine.

Greater use of social media to connect Toastmasters across the globe, including campaigns to get all TMs utilizing it. It can be used to follow TMI developments (educational program role out etc.) and follow TMs around the world as they achieve milestones and make valuable contributions to Toastmasters whether completing DTM or speaking to an audience of 1000+ or hosting a Toastmasters party or helping charity etc. – whatever TMI feels is appropriate.

Seetha Sagaran

Mohammed is a gentleman

who has now taken up not

just the mantle of our

President of Toastmasters

International but a living

legend to all who believe in

the philosophy -

Make your Dream Happen

by Helping Others as You

Make Your Dream Come

True.

I'm very happy for him and

proud of his achievement. All

the BEST Mohammed.

I think one day in the

Toastmaster calendar is

dedicated to Mentors, as

they play a phenomenal role

in ones life and it is only apt

that one day we celebrate

them!

Shahjahan Beyabani

I met Mohamed Murad, on 15

Feb 1999 when I attended as

a guest at the 87th meeting of

Dubai Toastmaster’s Club

(DTC) at the Airport Hotel in

Dubai.

I was very impressed by this

simple man who was the Club

President then, when he gave


the Presidents’ address at the

start of that meeting. He

gave a very ordinary speech

with an extra ordinary

message of simplicity and

humbleness, welcoming each

and every guest present

therein, and encouraging

them to join the Club.

He was then a Captain in

Dubai Police and heading

Ambulance Department as

its Director. Over a period of

time, his Titles have changed

from Captain to Major to Lt.

Colonel, but he as a person

remained the same, very

humble, easily accessible,

and a simple human being, a

true Leader. His signature

smile radiates immeasurable

energy and positivity which

might have really swept of

many over the years, but his

respect for Values,

Dedication and Passion have

remained intense.

His enthusiasm, passion for

excellence in Leadership, and

dedication, is simply

amazing! I was a member of

his team as a Sergeant at

Arms when we were the host

club for the Gulf

Toastmasters Annual

Convention during October

1999, (Equivalent of DTAC)

where I really witnessed his

Leadership.

He is a multi-tasker – While

he was the President of our

Club, he was also doing his

part time MBA, and leading

the Ambulance Department,

having a family with

growing Children, and still

used to find time over

weekends to immerse in his

passion of extreme sports –

Bungee Jumping , Para

Gliding, Para Sailing to

name a few.

He is a very sociable person

as well, I recollect the fun we

had when he threw a party

for DTC at his sprawling

farm house on Al Ain road

near Marmum!

I have witnessed him as a

TMOD when he conducted

the 154 Meeting on 06

August 2001 ‘Fight or Flight”

at the Al Futtaim Training

Centre.

I would truly say, we are

very fortunate that we

belong to DTC which was

lead by this simple & smiling

human being, a true Leader,

who became the

International Director by

virtue of his passion and

dedication. I am sure he will

take TMI to greater heights.

I salute this Leader DTM

Mohammed Murad !

Swapna Nair

Mighty Mabrook!!! to Our

Own Col DTM Mohammed

Murad!

Being crowned the

International President of

Toastmasters International

is no ordinary feat but

Colonel has managed to

achieve this mind-

mystifying fantastic feat

from amongst 313,000

members across the world in

126 countries. And how - in

his own very sweet

unassuming way.

Recently there was a popular

WhatsApp message doing the

rounds, which read, "Silence

& Smile are two powerful

tools. Smile is the way to

solve many problems and

Silence is the way to avoid

many problems." and that

definitely reminded me of


our own Col Mohammed

Murad as he is usually shy

and relatively silent but

always smiling - not just

smiling with his mouth but

smiling with his heart. How

do I know that - coz his smile

reaches my heart and

undoubtedly it reaches the

hearts of everyone who cross

his path. That is Colonel for

every one of us - a simple

gentleman who speaks from

his heart and exhibits

exemplary leadership skills

and above all else a shining

example of how a human

being should be - grounded,

down-to-earth, humble,

courteous, kind and caring of

his fellow-mates irrespective

of the fact that he is nearly

residing in the clouds with

his super successful business

and innumerable laudable

professional

accomplishments while he

served with Dubai

Government.

Just as the admirable leaders

of UAE keep putting Dubai /

UAE on the world map

through their various

achievements, so did our own

Col Mohammed Murad

ensure in his own

commendable way that he

too put Dubai / UAE on the

world map by becoming the


Toastmasters International -

the world's leading

communication and

leadership development

organization. He has made

our beloved country proud

and everyone who knows

him are basking in this glory

and pride and elated with

the super success!

On behalf of all D'Chaps, we

are positive that DTM

Murad is going to set many

new benchmarks and

milestones in Toastmasters'

history in this year under his

incredible leadership. May

Great God Bless all his efforts!

Uma Radhakrishnan [Past

Region Advisor - Region 11-

2012 – 2013]

DTM Mohammed Murad or

Colonel Murad as I like to

call him offers us an insight

not only into what the

journey of an IDEAL

Toastmaster should be but he

also exemplifies the IDEAL

journey of a

Toastmaster. He started out

his journey as a member of

our chapter with the

leadership position of VP PR,

each additional position

enhancing his leadership

potential and making him

more service

oriented. Leadership is not

about stopping when one’s

own goals are achieved. It’s

about helping others achieve

theirs. A patient, silent

listener before offering

advice he is someone who

would let you do the thinking

to derive your own answers

by asking the right

questions. A true

toastmaster in word and

deed Colonel Murad walks

his talk and is an inspiration

to all Toastmasters. A hard

act to follow! We are proud

of you Colonel…Lead on!

V P Menon [Division B

Governor 2014-2015]

Dear DTM Mohammed

Murad, what a remarkable

achievement this is! I take

this opportunity to

congratulate you on being

the President of


for 2014-2015. This is a very


noteworthy milestone

especially at a time when


is celebrating its 90th

anniversary. You had a

vision and you brought it to

reality. You have always

been a great support to

Dubai Toastmasters Club

and its members and I have

always felt proud to be part

of this very unique club. I

also take this opportunity to

thank you for all your

support to me within and

outside

Toastmasters. Whenever I

needed any help from you,

you have always come

forward to give me the

support so willingly. You are

an inspiration to many of us

and because of you, we feel

motivated to dream more, do

more & achieve more. I love

your tagline which says

“Together Towards

Tomorrow”. We all have

long journeys ahead of us

and we will make it a

successful journey, a journey

“Together Towards

Tomorrow”. I wish you a

wonderful year ahead as the

President of Toastmasters

International.

Ahmad Al Tayer

Dear Mohammed Murad,

I want to extend my

heartiest congratulations to

you on becoming the


Toastmasters.

Well, everybody knew it was

just a matter of time before

your hard work paid off. We

also knew that if anyone

could, it would be you. It

takes a great deal of talent,

effort, and determination to

achieve what you have

achieved. It is very inspiring

for me to see you achieve

this. Your skills and smarts

will surely serve you well

and add great value to the

Toastmasters clubs across the

globe.

Best wishes for your

continual success. I cannot

wait to see how impressed

everyone would be when you

start making a new level of

difference in the

Toastmasters clubs. I am

extremely confident that

your future holds many

more promotions of such

prestige.

Your brother TM Ahmad Al

Tayer

Deepa khemani

I feel he is a true inspiration

for all of us and I personally

would love to imbibe a lot of

qualities from him. I wish

Colonel Murad the best in his

new endeavor.

Member Experience Being a member of Toastmasters International involves more than just showing up at meetings and giving a speech now and then. Toastmasters’ membership is about being part of a supportive group of individuals in your local area who share the common goal of improving their communication and leadership skills. From meeting roles and mentoring to speech contests and satellite programs, Toastmasters International offers a host of ways for members to progress and thrive. The educational program is the heart of every Toastmasters club. It provides members with a proven curriculum that develops communication and leadership skills one step at a time, with many opportunities for awards and recognition along the way. The communication and leadership tracks are not mutually exclusive; you may participate in both at the same time, if you wish.


I’m an off-spring of two

Scorpios, a zodiac sign that

supposedly indicates

inflexibility or rigidity, both

very difficult traits to work

with. Some of those traits

were passed on to me as well

and it took my offspring to

straighten me out. I’m

thankful to my daughter for

testing my patience for the

past 25 years and educating

me on the flexibility of mind.

A precious gift! When I looked

around myself, I see the same

inflexibility torturing the life

and soul of people around me.

Mental Inflexibility curbs our

creativity, curbs our tolerance

and curbs our chances to

become better human beings.

The way out is pretty simple.

All we have to do is learn to

FLEX it!

Free thinking: How do we

learn to do this? The first step

is to SEAT ourselves, ‘Stop

Everything And Think’. When

faced with situations where-in

you are too rigid to embrace a

new thing, SEAT yourself.

Think. Put yourself in the

other person’s shoes. You’ll

get a new perspective. We are

not talking about random

thoughts here but focused,

productive thinking. What if

it IS the other way? Why does

it have to be this way? What is

the worst that can happen?

What am I actually worried

about? Slowly the answers

start to unravel and we are

able to narrow down to the

actual reason for resistance.

Most often it would be “what

will people think?” But

believe me this question has

killed more dreams than

anything else in this world!

Look for ways to live the

thought: Is it just enough to

SEAT yourself? Where do you

go with that? I’m referring to

the Action part here.

Acceptance gives you the

freedom to act upon it in any

manner we see right. To

sustain that new found

flexibility, identify places you

can compromise for starters.

Stay in that 30,000 foot above

view, a macro view of where

you want to be. You know the

intended result, but this gives

you the flexibility to choose

the comfortable route to reach

that place. The macro view

allows you to SEAT yourself

again questioning yourself.

Why am I doing this? Is there

another way to do it? Am I

doing this because this has

always been the way? How

often have we heard this

response “that’s the way

we’ve always done it”.

Enjoying that Freedom: It is

not easy as it seems. The effort

and results may bog you down.

That is why we should learn to

enjoy that freedom. Be in the

moment. Allow yourself to

enjoy the fruits of that

freedom. You have earned it!

Do not allow that freedom to

be corrupted by inflexible

people around you. Practice

exercises that promote

physical flexibility – yoga ,

jujitsu, meditation which will

give you more inner strength

to be IN it. Enjoy that

freedom!

Flex it! DTM Uma Radhakrishnan (A member of TMI since 2001, a trainer & entrepreneur, also interested in music, yoga & empowering youth)

FLEX IT!


Exemplify it : If you love

something what should we do?

Exemplify it! Share it so that

others can learn from it.

Exemplifying it provides

sustenance to this new found

skill and helps you to stay with

it. Keep practicing. Catch

yourself when you want to say

“can’t, won’t, shouldn’t” and

replace it with “we’ll see, l

hope to and why not”. In all

aspects of life, the person with

the most varied responses

wins- Kelly Perdew.

Real power comes from

mental flexibility. It’s about

taking the driver’s seat,

stopping everything to think,

and re-gaining power over

oneself. Even if you think that

you are a flexible person, you

might surprise yourself some

more, gain power over

yourself some more by Flexing

it. What ‘free thinking’, Living

that thought, Enjoying that

freedom and Exemplifying it

can do for you will make you

even more powerful.

Flexibility, as displayed by water, is a sign of life. Rigidity, its opposite, is an indicator of death - Anthony Lawlor

10 Tips for Public Speaking

1. Know your material. Pick a topic you are interested in. Know more about

it than you include in your speech. Use humor, personal stories and

conversational language – that way you won’t easily forget what to say.

2. Practice. Practice. Practice! Rehearse out loud with all equipment you

plan on using. Revise as necessary. Work to control filler words; Practice,

pause and breathe. Practice with a timer and allow time for the unexpected.

3. Know the audience. Greet some of the audience members as they arrive.

It’s easier to speak to a group of friends than to strangers.

4. Know the room. Arrive early, walk around the speaking area and practice

using the microphone and any visual aids.

5. Relax. Begin by addressing the audience. It buys you time and calms your

nerves. Pause, smile and count to three before saying anything. ("One one-

thousand, two one-thousand, three one-thousand. Pause. Begin.) Transform

nervous energy into enthusiasm.

6. Visualize yourself giving your speech. Imagine yourself speaking, your

voice loud, clear and confident. Visualize the audience clapping – it will

boost your confidence.

7. Realize that people want you to succeed. Audiences want you to be

interesting, stimulating, informative and entertaining. They’re rooting for

you.

8. Don’t apologize for any nervousness or problem – the audience probably

never noticed it.

9. Concentrate on the message – not the medium. Focus your attention

away from your own anxieties and concentrate on your message and your

audience.

10. Gain experience. Mainly, your speech should represent you — as an

authority and as a person. Experience builds confidence, which is the key to

effective speaking. A Toastmasters club can provide the experience you

need in a safe and friendly environment.


After reading about the

enchanting beauty of Kashmir.

Finally my dream to visit this

mesmerizing place was

fulfilled. And that too on my

birthday. We took a flight to

Srinagar roughly one and a

half hours from Delhi passing

over the Pir Panjer Mountains.

As soon as we were out of the

airport I pinched myself to

make sure it was for real. We

had a cab to take us to

Gulmarg. Going uphill, the

landscape was enjoyable and

the beauty of the hills and

mountains were great. After

an hour on the road with a

wonderful treat to the eyes we

reached Gulmarg. I was

awestruck with the scenic

beauty.

Snowcapped mountains and

pine trees. It was my 1st

experience walking on snow.

Children’s joy knew no

bounds. After checking into

Green Park Hotel, we decided

to take a walk and that was

one of the most memorable

time of my life. Peace and

serenity of the place was

feeding my soul.

Next day onwards we were

packed for some short skiing

lessons. The temperature in

Gulmarg was such that with

the skiing dress only our faces

were visible. Skating classes

helped the kids as skiing

involves some of those

principles. It was fun.

Slopping down the ice but

getting back was a task for a

plump lady like me. But was

happy that I may lose a few

grams this way. Slopping

down on the tube and being

pulled back on the sledge was

a common sight. As if this was

not enough the kids were

treated to hot Maggi by their

instructors for their brave

efforts. Yes friends don’t be

surprised. Maggi is much

more delicious to eat at such a

great height.

Later in the day we took the

Gondola ride to visit

Khilanmarg. Gondola ride is

the world 2nd largest and

Asia’s longest and highest

cable car network. It takes U

to Koongdori mountain which

is a part of the Afarwat peak at

a height of 13,780ft. While on

way the beauty was

enthralling n breathtaking as

the clouds seems so near.

From the 1st peak station at

KOONGDORI we could have a

breathtaking bird’s eye view

of the entire valley region .We

got down at the 2nd phase and

walked for while. It just didn’t

seem we were at such a great

height. Then we decided to

take a ride on the snow

scooters. It was something

similar to dune bashing of

Dubai. The driver took us up n

down the hilly areas. Where it

was snowing hot tea or the

local Kahwa was best to keep a

check on the cold condition.

On the 2nd day it was snowing.

So it was time for play. Yes

even mummies played making

and throwing snowballs and

making snowman. It was 1st

time in my life I was standing

in snow and it falling over

me. Soon all the trees were

covered with snow .We then

Tours with Deepa : Season 1 Heavan on Earth – Kashmir Deepa Khemani (A member of TMI since December 2011, a dentist by profession but now a home maker, also interested in baking, cooking, travelling and being with her family)

HEAVEN ON EARTH - KASHMIR


returned to sit by the Bukhari

(wooden burning stove) to

warm ourselves up with the

hotel owner’s dog named

THABBA.

NEXT DAY we left for Srinagar

a place with lots of

sightseeing. Srinagar is a very

beautiful city with River

Jhelum.

We started off by visiting the

Shankar Acharya temple by

walking up the last 270 steps

amid tight security. We then

visited the Pari mahal which

was once a royal observatory.

Here we rented the local

dresses and tried to look like

Kashmiris.

Chasmeshahi, is a tastefully

laid garden terrace with a

view of Dal Lake below and

surrounding mountains

around it. The refreshing

spring water is considered to

be the purest and many royals

like Nehru used to drink water

from here only. It seems it has

medicinal value too.

Nishat bagh – is located on the

banks of Dal Lake. This

'garden of bliss' commands a

magnificent view of the lake

and the snow capped Pir

Panjal Mountain. With a canal

running through the centre,

there were beautifully laid

terraces blooming with

flowers.

Also a must visit is the

Shalimar garden located

nearby. It is a beautiful garden

with sweeping vistas. These

gardens were made by the

Moghuls and are popular

EXCURSION SPOTS.

DAL Lake ---Trip to Kashmir is

incomplete without sitting in

a Shikara or staying in a House

boat. DAAL LAKE HAS THE

CITY ON ONE SIDE AND THE

OTHER THREE SIDES ARE

SURROUNDED BY PIR PANJAR

MOUNTAINS. As we took

round in the colorful shikara

and some named house boats

like Elizabeth, we came across

the floating market and it

looked like a floating town by

itself. People were staying

there and had their own

garden and made their

livelihood by fishing, selling

vegetables etc.

During winters when the

entire lake freezes, skiing

competitions happen here.

Visit to any city is incomplete

without shopping and

Kashmir is famous for its

pashmina shawls. I too got one

and some other handicrafts.

Finally, the next day we flew

back to Delhi. But the

memories of the scenic beauty

and serenity of Kashmir will

be etched in my mind forever.

Read

the Toastmaster

on Your Tablet!

The digital magazine is now

available to members on the iPad2,

iPad 3, iPad Mini, Kindle Fire HD

and Android tablets (running 4.3.2

or earlier versions). Access the

Toastmaster Magazine app by

following these steps:

Go to the Apple® App Store,

Amazon Appstore or Google Play

store and search for "Toastmaster

Magazine."

Select the blue "TI" app.

Download and install the app. Next,

tap on the app to open it.

Tap "Sign In" in the upper left and

input the username and password

that you use on the Toastmasters

International website.

Tap the Library icon at the bottom of

the screen.

Select a month's issue to download.

Instructions for using the

Toastmaster Magazine app can be

found on the second page of each

issue.


If you ask a 5 year old “Where

does money come from?” most

likely his response would be

the ATM or a Purse. The kid

only said, what he observed.

He does not see a correlation

that you invested your body

and time to earn a decent

living for them.

Children today are more

demanding and inquisitive.

You can see that in their

behavior. They could

blackmail you for an ice-

cream for doing homework,

they would roll tears for a toy

or a doll and make sure that

you purchase it out of

embarrassment. They want

multiple dresses, stationary,

shoes and everything the

moment they see it. And if you

say NO, deep down they will

start thinking “Are we poor?”

or "do my parents love me?”

Let’s see what and when to tell

a child about money.

Age 5-7

Aim to teach: What is money?

How does Daddy get money

home?

Lesson 1: Ask him what is

money? Show him the notes

and coins of all denominations

and tell him that everything

has a cost which is money. The

ice cream, the dress, the

school, the van, Maggi

noodles, the fruits, the

vehicle, the petrol, the fan, the

electricity, the band aid, the

water park etc. So money

comes and goes through goods

and services exchanged. We

cannot make school and diary

milk at home. So money is

important.

Lesson 2: Ask kid does he/she

miss you when you go to

office? Tell them you miss

them too but in order to earn

money you need to go to office

and work hard. You work for

the entire month and then you

get some money which would

be for an entire month and

this is the money that the

office stores in the ATM which

you can withdraw when

needed. Show him that it is not

the ATM which gives money,

but it is the hard work and

time you or your spouse

devote towards work. Making

kids understand the relation

between hard work and

money is the crux.

Age 7-9

Aim to teach: Value of Savings

& Investments

Lesson 3: This is the time

when you can give some cash

to kids to handle on their own.

You can give them pocket

money and tell them that if

they want a picnic out on the

weekend they have to

contribute. Or ask them what

do they want? Suppose your

child wants a tablet, tell him

that he needs to save X amount

Financial Lessons for Kids: What & When? Aadil Kadri (A member of TMI since April 2010, a Certified Financial Planner by profession, also interested in calligraphy & graphology)

FINANCIAL LESSONS FOR KIDS: WHAT & WHEN?


for Y months to get the

tablet. When you shop for

something tell him to count

and pay. Let him calculate

balance and denominations of

notes to pay. This is not a

onetime instance but should

be a routine.

Lesson 4: This is the time you

sit with your kid and teach

him about daily or routine

expenses. You tell him that

groceries are a routine but

vacation or expenses

for higher education are not.

Show him that you are saving

for these long term goals. Tell

him the difference between

savings and investment.

Explain to him in a

nontechnical way, the concept

of interest and accumulation

(the grasshopper and the ant

story). Share stories where

people started saving and

became self-reliant

by reaching their goals

without difficulty.

Age 9-13

Aim to teach: Basic concepts

of Investments & Debt

Lesson 5: Teach them the

power of compounding and

interest concept in a simple

way. Tell them about savings

bank account, recurring

deposit and fixed deposit. Tell

them how these avenues help

to build corpus for future use.

Lesson 6: Teach them dangers

of debt. Show them how home

loan and credit card works.

Correlate method of savings

and debt. Tell them how

you contributed maximum

from your savings to lower

your loan amount and pay less

EMIs. Do role playing by

giving them a small personal

loan for their need and

deduct EMIs from the pocket

money.

And before you teach -

1) Show respect for money in

your financial behavior.

2) Make wise investments &

purchase decisions.

3) Put some time to educate

yourself with financial

concepts.

4) Lead in the eyes of your kid

by setting examples.

5) Be patient with kids. Do not

expect Warren Buffet or

Benjamin Graham attitude

from them on day 1.

Being a parent myself, I am

eager to learn about new

things I can teach my kid and

how.

Do share your stories on how

you tackle your kid or maybe

on how your parents

tackled you?

Waiting for your comments.

Happy Investing!!!!

Visual Aids & PowerPoint

Keep your visual aids:

Visible

Simple

Colorful, but don't let them

upstage you

Justified by the content -- not

too many or too few slides

For effective PowerPoint shows:

Don't read the slides to your

audience!

Make your text large.

Choose colors that make the

text easier to read.

Use bullet points instead of full

sentences.

Don't let the text or graphics

fly around too much.

Avoid charts and diagrams that

are hard to see.

Most Importantly - Remember, you

control the presentation; don’t let it

control you. PowerPoint should be

a “visual aid” – not the entire show.


Those of us who experienced an ‘away-from-it-all’ Summer Holiday have returned refreshed and relaxed to the normalcy of work. Those who

had to stay put to keep the system going, long for their

turn.

We did meet our distant loved

ones, visited distant lands and

sights.

For some of us, there were

occasions when the breeze

brought in a certain aroma

that made us stop in our track

to wonder: Don’t I know that

fragrance? At a dining table or

in a wayside shop, the tip of

our tongue declared: This

taste is very familiar. When

was the last time I

experienced it? Our nostrils,

our taste buds carry us to a

time, to a place, an occasion, a

person that we thought we

had left behind for good.

Nothing short of a trip down

the memory lane, to borrow a

phrase that says it all. It is

indeed surprising how a

certain smell, a certain taste,

a certain sight can achieve this

instantaneous flashback in our

minds, in all its emotional

ambience.

During this year’s holiday trip

to India, my daughter and I

visited Mumbai for a two day

workshop. We stayed in a

comfortable hotel not very far

from the heart of the city.

A faint smell of mothballs

escaped as soon as I opened

the cupboard in the room. A

whiff of that smell took me to

my hotel room in Trivandrum

where I stayed while a student

with my parents, some twenty

two years before. The moth

ball smell there, I

remembered, was a bit

stronger. But the highlight of

the Trivandrum room was not

the smell. A giant of (well,

nearly) a dark colored

cockroach flew out of the

cupboard, more shocked than

me by my intrusion into its

home. Fortunately, no such

surprise awaited my daughter

in the Mumbai hotel room!

Of course, some of the

memories that we associate

with aromas are less

dramatic, such as my

memories that I associate with

warm, delicious, vanilla-

flavored golden sweet Bombay

Toasts (please don’t ask me

why I call them by that name –

I haven’t the faintest idea! A

childhood name for those

toasts, I suppose).

Bombay Toasts evoke in me

the familiar fragrance of my

childhood years, the aroma of

my Mom’s food, my Dad’s

sunny laughter, my brother’s

jokes on how we used to play

mischief while we were in

school and so much more. This

breakfast snack opens such a

treasure trove of joy – each

bite invites beautiful

memories that cascade from

the first bite till the last. A

pleasure to my soul as well as

a satisfactory solution to my

appetite.

Nostalgia Seetha Sagaran (A member of TMI since 2004, a personal development trainer, also interested in reading, writing, travelling, studying, painting, singing, music, dancing and interior designing.)

NOSTALGIA


Take the case of our President

Deepak and his favorite

breakfast – Aloo Puri.

This breakfast triggers

beautiful memories of

weekend breakfasts that he

used to enjoy as a child with

his parents. The ultimate

breakfast that he used to wait

for eagerly. Come Sunday, his

Mom’s spicy Aloo Puri

(sautéed potato stir fry and

golden fried wheat puffs) was

at the breakfast table, his

parents waiting for him to join

in.

“During childhood, our

Sundays were not complete

without Mom’s delicious Aloo

Puri” he says with his lively

smile.

“Stuffed Mushrooms” is one

dish that our Club Secretary

Deepa enjoys for their special

significance.

This dish makes her recall

romantic winter dinners

prepared by her husband,

Dheeraj. “Dheeraj prepares

this dish really well and he

enjoys making this for me”,

says the doting wife.

Next time you experience a

certain aroma that triggers a

journey to the past, taste a

certain food that your taste

buds vaguely recognize, feel a

glow about a certain music or

song, put in a little extra effort

to locate where you have been

transported to. Other than

pure nostalgia, what else does

the emotional experience give

you? Are you richer by the

“alerting” you felt? Could you

add to the value of the

experience? Should there be

anything disturbing or

saddening about the memories

invoked, how can you

neutralize the effect and turn

it around as something that

you can derive strength from?

Our associations with our past

through our senses is far more

closer than we realize or are

willing to admit. Association

of our consciousness with

taste, aromas, smells and

odors can conjure up feelings

and emotions experienced in

the past and sometimes even

lead to an uncanny feeling of

Deja Vu.

On a grander scale of

knowledge & understanding

about ourselves and the

world, our senses indeed

provide us with knowledge

that exceeds the realm of mere

memories.

Gestures: Get

Moving!

Start with eye contact. Being prepared –

having control of your message – is a

prerequisite for being able to project and

establish a bond with the audience.

Don’t just pass your gaze throughout

the room; try to focus on individual

listeners and create a bond with them

by looking them directly in the eyes for

five to 10 seconds.

Smile!

Express emotion with your facial

muscles. For inspiration, take a look at

the The Human Face, a BBC

documentary narrated by John Cleese

of Monty Python fame.

Avoid distracting mannerisms – have a

friend watch as you practice and look for

nervous expressions such as fidgeting,

twitching, lip biting, key jingling, hands

in pockets or behind the back.

Telling a story? Highlight the action

verbs and look for ways to act out one

or more parts. Speaking about

marathon running? Run a few steps.

Stay true to your personality. Don’t copy

gestures from a book or other speaker,

but respond naturally to what you feel

and say.

Make gestures convincing. Every hand

gesture should be total body movement

that starts from the shoulder – never

from the elbow. Half-hearted gestures

look artificial.

Vary your speaking position by moving

from one spot on the stage to

another. For example, walk to the other

side of the stage as you move to a new

topic or move toward the audience as

you ask a question.


I am handsome, I am tall, I am

fit, I am happy and I am

confident.

It is not a joke! It is my habit before I leave for work! And that makes me feel confident. All of us are confident in our

daily routines, this is just

because we experience it

everyday.

But while setting tough goals,

we experience lack of

confidence.

I have some suggestions as

below:

If you want to be confident,

focus on solutions.

I will give you a technique

which is called the 5 why

analysis.

It was developed by Toyota

Motors to improve the quality

in manufacturing. But it can

be used in our life problems

too.

Let’s say, I am not confident

because I am fat!

I am fat – why? The answer

goes as below.

I can’t do exercise – why?

I have no energy – why?

I can’t stop eating junk food –

why?

I can’t motivate myself – why?

I have no one to motivate me.

We reached the target. Find

someone who can motivate

you!

By repeating ‘why’ minimum

five times, the nature of the

problems and its solutions

become clear.

We can make this as habit.

Another reason for not being

confident is our negative

thoughts.

Do not focus on our internal

negative dialogues. “Oh my

God! Am I going to finish this

project within the short

period? If not, I will be fired?

Maybe, my boss will not trust

me any more.”

Say “STOP!”

Think positively: You can,

you should, and if you are

brave enough to start. You

will.

Be completely honest with

yourself (Avoid shortcuts).

When you are honest you can

feel confidence because you

have nothing to hide.

When you focus too much on

what you want, the mind

creates reasons on why you

can’t have it. This will work on

your weaknesses.

There was a time when I

doubted my abilities and I was

too focused on thinking that I

couldn’t do it, and that led me

to almost commit a terrible

mistake which could have

spoiled my academic career.

Workouts for confidence Jose William (A member of TMI since August 2013, warehouse manager at Saint Vincent Group GT LLC, also interested in movies and loves to learn whatever improves his career and quality of life)

WORKOUTS FOR CONFIDENCE


During my first year pre-

degree exam I was about to

attend the last prose exam.

There was a discussion with

my friends about two critical

possible essays which we

couldn’t prepare.

At the last minute I got

confused, I flipped the pages

again and again. It was too

late!

One of us suggested why we

don’t we keep a small chit to

copy from? The value of that

question was for 30 marks!

True, marks were important!

So we prepared some points

on the chit and put it in our

pockets.

The Examiner appeared, and

we got the answer papers to

be filled.

I filled the ID details on the

first page.

Suddenly the examiner stated

with his thick scary voice, “If

any chit or notes are in your

pockets, this is the right time

to give it to me or the window

is there to throw it outside!”

There was pin drop silence.

I became nervous, my heart

beat increased and I started to

bite my nails.

I tried to recall the answers of

what I prepared, and Oh God!

My mind was blank, I couldn’t

remember anything!

Immediately, my heart told

me, Jose, you never cheated

before, throw it!

I crushed the small chit and

threw it out with full force.

The examiner noticed this, but

he smiled. Everyone was

laughing at me. But I didn’t

care.

After few seconds, I saw, there

were more chits flying over

my head, my friends did the

same thing as me!

I went through the entire

questions as I got the question

paper, and yes, the critical

essays were there!

I started to answer one by one.

Meanwhile, I noticed, my

mind was getting better.

There was some sort of

confidence! In the end, I dared

to attempt those 2 critical

essays, George Bernard

Shaw’s daring attempt & life

of William Shakespeare.

I tried to recall everything I

heard in the class room,

Doctor’s Dilemma, George

Bernard Shaw’s daring

attempt against the doctors

and filled in my answer

sheets.

This is the reason why I like

George Bernard Shaw. He once

said, “My way of joking is to

tell the truth, it’s the funniest

joke in the world.”

I learned two things,

dishonesty spoils confidence

and self-esteem boosts

confidence.

So my conclusion is - If you

ever doubt your abilities,

never let the negative

thoughts take over your mind,

instead, repeat the “5 Step

Why Analysis” and you could

be confident and you will

succeed.

The Power of Pause in Public Speaking

by Andrii Sedniev When you go on stage don’t say anything for 3-7 seconds. Look at the audience members and acknowledge their presence. Only then start talking. This pause in public speaking is the same as saying “Hi” in your everyday conversations. Pause also conveys your confidence and draws attention of the audience. People will stop doing what they did before and begin listening to you, because when they see a speaker that doesn’t speak it’s something unusual. People pay attention to everything unusual.

http://magicofpublicspeaking.com/author/asedniev/


If someone were to ask me,

"Swapna, what's the one

invention on earth that most

amazes and fascinates you?” I

think the only answer that

comes to my mind is US - YOU

& ME - we human beings and

our amazing human body. I

often think and wonder what

kind of a master plan our

Creator had while designing

and equipping us with all

these fascinating machinery

which we so easily brush off

as just ordinary organs or

average parts of body. I think

the below poem by St.

Augustine perfectly embodies

my sentiments.

Men go abroad to wonder

at the height of mountains,

at the huge waves of the sea,

at the long courses of the

rivers,

at the vast compass of the

oceans,

at the circular motion of the

stars,

and they pass by themselves

without wondering.

St. Augustine

Some time back Nokia Lumia

1020 Smartphone was

launched grandly with a 41

megapixel built in camera. Do

you have any idea how many

megapixels our eyes are? Well

its 576 mega pixels and it has

2 million working parts!!!

Did you know that our brain

is the most complex machine

in the universe? It has about

100 Billion (100, 000, 000,

000) Neurons - which is as

many cells as there are stars

in the Milky Way!!!

The Bugatti Veyron Super

Sport is the fastest certified

car in the world which can

travel at 430.9 kph and our

thoughts travel effortlessly at

pretty much the same speed -

428 kph!!!

There are 176,000 km myelinated axons in our brain - which can wrap around the earth’s equator four-and-a-half times!!! And the list is endless - each and every part and organ of

our body is a super specialized machine in itself.

So now do we feel like being a

little bit more grateful about our bodies and treating it with the respect it deserves and not

taking ourselves for granted. The truth is that we are super

machines and we can achieve anything that our mind can conceive and believe as said in

the hallmark expression by famous author Napolean Hill

(author of Think & Grow Rich). And this is also the essence of the philosophy behind being a

Dream Doer because the only person that can save you is

YOU. So get to work - you already have all that you need, to go out daringly into the world and achieve every single dream that you can Dare to Dream.

Be a dream doer

Swapna Nair (A member of TMI since mid 2000, an entrepreneur (Chief dream doer of Dream Doers Training & Management Consultancy), also interested in Doing Dreams / Toastmastering / RYTHM (Raising Yourself to Help Mankind) / Work with various NGO / Art & Craft / Cooking / Travelling / Reading / Spending quality time with family and lil kids / Checking out and Experiencing new things in Life) .)

BE A DREAM DOER


“People are stupid you know!!

They just don’t know the value

of reading!! “Said a wise man.

Well, I largely agree with him,

that indeed, you must be

really stupid if you don’t know

the value of reading.

When I was 5, my parents got

me this beautiful, extremely

pretty looking book on fairy

tales. Initially, I flipped the

pages every day, simply

gazing at all the lovely

illustrations. Then this one

day, my mother sat next to me,

and she asked “so Richa,

what’s this story about” and I

replied “I don’t know, it’ll take

me so much time to read this,

I just look at the pictures”.

Well obviously she realized

that I was a bit twisted. So she

held my little finger, her

finger on top of mine, and ran

it slowly through the lines of

the story helping me read the

book.

I still remember, it was the

story of Hansel and Gretel. I

saw pictures of a colorful

house. But when my mum

helped me read it explaining

that the house was made of

candy, my imagination lifted

and shot up to a different level

all together. And I asked her,

with so much of amazement,

and excitement “can there

reealllyyyy BE a house made

of Candy” … “why can’t we

also live there?”

I then, gradually grew up to

love fiction, mysteries,

suspense, romantic, scientific

and nonfiction books. And

with each and every book that

I read, I always wished I were

a mosquito on the wall, in that

era, simply watching

everything that was described

in those books with awe.

I was recently reading up on

some statistics and I found

that, ONLY 56% of young

people in the world claim they

read more than 8 books in a

year. That means only half the

people in this world make an

effort to read?

42% of college graduates in

the US never read another

book after graduating.

And 70% of adults have not

been in a book store in the

past 5 years! A book store! The

smell of fresh print on books.

The cute little chair to sit and

quickly skim through a book.

But the moment I read this

that I felt like rattling all those

people by their shoulders, just

to make them realize what

they are missing out on.

Reading gives you

satisfaction.

SATISFACTION – Fulfilment of

one’s wishes, expectations,

needs or the pleasure derived

from this.

Satisfaction is inquisitive eyes

looking at you for information

because they KNOW that

Must, or you Rust! Richa Khera (A member of TMI since July 2013, a user experience designer, interested in everything that make her happy)

MUST, OR YOU RUST!


you’ve read about it. They

know that you love to keep

yourself informed. They

KNOW, that YOU know what

Leonardo Da Vinci hid in the

last supper and why Salman

Rushdie is hard to understand.

The pleasure of teasing

somebody by saying that “your

words were like acid on the

petals of my tender heart

“instead of “dude... That was

mean!! “Or, calling somebody

‘Imbecile’ instead of “stupid

and uninformed”

Your own life is like a déjà vu.

I have felt the solitude that

Eddie felt, from five people

you meet in heaven. He

reached heaven, all alone,

with nobody by his side. I have

felt the ecstasy that Hari felt,

in 5 Point Someone, after he

passed his exams expecting

that he was about to flunk. I

have felt the guilt that Amir

felt, when he left Hassan

behind, from the Kite Runner;

the pain that Sadeem felt after

she broke up with her first

boyfriend, from the Girls of

Riyad and finally the

happiness Maharani Gayatri

of Jaipur felt when she fell in

love for the first time with

Maharaja Jai Singh!

It feels miraculous after

having experienced all of this

and yet crave more and more

of it!

If we read books, we would

understand how small we are

and how vast this world is.

We’d learn to be selfless.

Every time we finish reading a

book, we would understand

that we have gained nothing,

but just a drop from the ocean

of information out there!

We open up to new ideas and

new verticals to learn. It’s an

irony actually, the more you

read, the more you know you

have to read. Again, never

stop!

Reading lets you know, that

there are emotions you have

never felt, yet.

Places, you haven’t visited,

yet.

Things you haven’t done yet.

And finally BOOKS, you

haven’t read yet.

When Things Go

Wrong

When things beyond your control

go wrong, the only thing you can

control is your reaction to them.

Just as the sailor at sea is at the

mercy of the elements, so is the

speaker. The sailors batten down

the hatches in rough weather; what

does the speaker do in when the

microphone won’t work? Or when

the lights malfunction? Or when the

music in the next room is too loud?

The following article from

the Toastmaster magazine, written

by Bob Hope’s Emmy Award

winning head writer Gene Perret,

offers examples of intrepid

speakers who rode out the

sometimes stormy seas of the

speaker’s podium. Among his dos

and don’ts:

Don’t: Blow your cool.

Do: Maintain your dignity.

Don’t: Surrender to the situation.

Do: Your best under any

circumstances.

Don’t: Continually refer to the

problem.

Do: Keep your sense of humor


Best Speaker

Anindya Kar

Best Evaluator

Sandeep Adnani

Best Table Topic Speaker

Gerald Paul

Best Role Player

Vinay Satheesh

Best Speaker

Deepak Gulati

Best Evaluator

Ambuj Tripathi


Abdul Khaliq

Best Role Player

Qaisar Amin & Santhosh Tony

CLUB MEETINGS FROM JULY - SEPTEMBER 2014


Best Speaker

Jose William

Best Evaluator

Sandeep Adnani


DTM Mohammed Murad

Best Role Player

Abdul Khaliq

Best Speaker

Sandeep Adnani

Best Evaluator

Aadil Kadri


Ali Safri

Best Role Player

Anindya Kar


Best Speaker

Anindya Kar

Best Evaluator

Sandeep Adnani

Best Speaker

Kiran Punjabi

Best Evaluator

V P Menon


Obe

Best Role Player

Aadil Kadri


Best Speaker

Abdel Rahman

Best Evaluator

Uma Radhakrishnan


Karthikeyan

Best Role Player

Deepa Khemani

HOW TO START ANY SPEECH by J.A. Gamache

Third place Champion at the 2001 Toastmasters International World Championship of Public Speaking

Here's a very simple way to decrease your stress right before speaking. When you get to the microphone, don't start talking right away. Look at all the audience members with a smile, taking a deep breath as you do, and then start speaking. This is how I start my presentations, for the following reasons: 1- YOU SEND A NON-VERBAL MESSAGE OF SELF-CONFIDENCE.

Your smile says you're happy to be standing in front of that group. When you take the time to silently scan the audience, they see that

you're in control.

2- YOU'RE CALMER WHEN YOU TAKE THE TIME TO BREATHE PROPERLY.

When you're nervous, you tend to hold your breath. When you inhale properly, you do the opposite, and that lowers your stress. 3- IT GIVES YOU TIME TO GIVE YOURSELF A LITTLE PEP TALK.

While filling your lungs and smiling at the audience, you can give yourself some positive inner self-talk, such as: "Now's my time. I'm going to give it my best. These people need to hear my message!!!" Trust me, this little routine really boosts your energy level! 4- YOUR VOICE IS STRONG WHEN YOUR LUNGS ARE FULL.

And that's what you want, isn't it? Who wants to start a speech with a weak, shaky voice? You only have this one opportunity to make a good first impression! You might as well take no chances. Happy speech!


By Deepak Gulati

Year - 2014,

Date - 1st of September

Time - around 0715 pm in the evening…

Club - Home club of the International President

The floodgates of celebrations and achievement

were opened to all. The floor of Dubai

Toastmasters Club (DTC) could feel the thump

and the hustle & bustle of greatness. The

presence of mammoths of Dubai Toastmasters

Club and many others was not only mesmerizing

but also elevating. I still remember how we all

were getting geared up for this event since quite

some time, probably a month and a half or two.

And finally the moment was there. The members

of DTC and many other clubs joined hands

together to welcome and congratulate one and

only, DTM Mohammed Murad on becoming the

International President of TMI. Yes, it was an

evening to felicitate the International President.

That night, we all witnessed one kind of a

celebration, an evening to pinch yourself and

say “Yes, I was there” and a meeting that will

stay alive in the books of DTC for years to

come.... or let me rephrase…FOREVER…

It took about a few seconds for me to realize that

“Yes, it was happening”. Everything on that very

evening looked magical. From the venue which

was all dressed in UAE theme, to the room which

was overflowing with crowd, to the honor

speeches of fellow Toastmasters and good old

friends of DTM Murad. We had the likes of DTM

Lakhi Sawlani, (TMs) Vinod Mehra, Saira Ranj,

Sudhir Menon, R. K. Nair, Leo Conrad, Ganesh

Srinivasan, Ravi Warrier and more. We were

also loaded with the local DTC guns like DTM

Uma Radhakrishnan, DTM Ramesh

Ananthraman, (TMs) Shahjahan Beyabani,

Ashok Khera, Dr Balan Vijay Kumar, Rupa Vinod

and Gemma Zust and more. Colonel’s good old

friends Vijayan Manikoth and Loy Machedo

couldn’t make to the event but their videos said

it all, or let’s say that for Loy’s dedication, his

video said it a lot without him uttering one

word. It was indeed … whacky.

They all showered their wishes at DTM Murad

and gave us all an insight that what makes him

an extraordinary leader and a special human

being. It was a treat for us all, who are more of

a newbies to the club who got to know the

stories and events of the past which otherwise

would not really come out. Do you know one of

the TM theories that Colonel stands by, 3Ps and

3Ds. Practice Practice Practice and Delegate

Delegate Delegate. Practice will shine you as a

speaker and Delegation will give you chances to

experience leadership and to create more

leaders around. Interesting.

Well the meeting lit up with the smiles and wit

of our resident TMODs Seetha Sagaran and VP

SPECIAL MEETING 494: FELICITATION OF INT’L PRESIDENT


Menon. Well you know who smiles better, of

course Seetha, and who makes you chuckle the

most, yes… it is VP. No stones were left

unturned by the TMODs to make it even more

special for the International President and all

members and guests.

Two project speeches and evaluation did the

justice to the TM education aspect and then the

felicitation continued. DTM Murad was

presented with a plaque by DTM Lakhi as a

token of love and respect from DTC members

and DTM Murad’s friends. Later DTM Uma

presented Colonel with a bouquet of flowers and

then it followed with the cake cutting ceremony.

Later, the evening followed with a message

from Colonel, which had his deep insights about

Toastmasters and how he feels that this

program has to reach millions and billions to

bring about the difference that we would want

to see in this world. He also mentioned that we

need to be able to spread our message to

potential members that by joining

Toastmasters, they are in something for

becoming not only a better speaker, but a better

person. Once each one of us is able to convince

others to join TM using that message, the real

purpose could be served in a longer period.

It was indeed a delight to listen to the

International President for us all.

The evening then moved to meet and greet

session and everyone enjoyed Arabic snacks and

even more casual talks with our International

President.

It was for sure, an evening that will remain

etched on our minds for yearsssssss to come…or

let’s say…FOREVER…


`

TOASTMASTERS INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION

KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA

orator 1 final

Documents